Dale Moon

Who were some of your earliest musical influences?

Right from the start it was Rush and Van Halen, which is an interesting yin and yang. I like how completely thought-out Neil Peart's playing is, and how completely instinctual Alex Van Halen's playing seems, and yet they're equally valid.

The other main early influence was Tower Of Power. David Garibaldi is probably my single biggest drum hero of all time. I can literally remember the moment I first heard Back To Oakland. It instantly made me wonder why we all play the same drum beats all the time.

Who are some of your more recent musical influences?

These might not seem that recent, but I later got into all of the electric jazz fusion guys, like Dave Weckl, Dennis Chambers, Horatio Hernandez, and Simon Phillips. For years I felt that that was my direction as a player, but at some point I realized that I'm a rock n' roller at heart. That’s when I started getting into all of the instrumental guitarists. You still get all of the playing, but it rocks. I haven’t mentioned Vinnie Colaiuta yet, but he’s in there somewhere. I have a million musical heroes, but these are the people who have actually influenced my playing.

What's in your CD player right now?

A Tribe Called Quest: The Low End Theory. It simply never gets old.

What's your current drum setup?

I play maple Gretsch drums: a 20x22 kick with six toms-- 8, 10, and 12 rack toms, 14 and 16 floor toms, and a suspended 14 on my left. I change snares depending on the volume of the gig. The main ones are a 6 1/2x14 maple Gretsch that’s dry but loud and cracking, and an old, dented 6x14 steel free-floating Pearl that I just can’t seem to beat for being responsive and easy to control in lower-volume situations. I was using a 10-inch auxiliary snare on the Burn Season Tour, but it tended to complicate the mix in situations where we don’t control the sound, so it’s out.

Cymbals?

I play Sabian cymbals. I have four crashes that vary depending on the venue--either AAX Studios or HHXplosions. I don't really go for tons of sonic range with crash cymbals; I just like having several because it helps me avoid awkward movements that strain my shoulders. It also keeps me from overplaying a single cymbal and breaking it. I have a Hand-Hammered Medium-Ride, and two O-Zone crashes, which are some of the greatest sounding cymbals I've ever heard. I vary my Hi-hats depending on the gig, but they're always 13’s for the primary hats, and 14’s for the X-hats.

What kind of Electronics do you use?

Often, we’ll do in-store appearances or radio shows while on the road. In these situations, I use a full kit of electronic drums, which are made by RET Percussion. They’re dual-zone triggers made with actual maple shells and real-feeling heads.

Also, no matter which kit I’m using, I use a pair of Roland SPD-S sampling pads to my left above the hi-hats. I can trigger drum sounds directly from them, or I can trigger rhythm guitar loops or piano loops that we couldn’t otherwise cover live without more people. That strategy allows us to sound extremely full on stage even though we’re a trio. I use two of them MIDI’d together so I can monitor one with added click, and send one to the house without a click.

I use a Yamaha ClickStation for a time reference, and I have a small six-channel mixer that I use to tie it all together.

Microphones?

I use Electro-Voice microphones on everything. They absolutely rock, and have held up great on the road.

Do you use triggers live or in the studio?

I currently don't use any live, and I've never used them in the studio, with the exception of random sessions for other people. I used to use them to trigger effects program changes on my reverb unit on the fly.

You have a third pedal on your left side next to your hi-hat and left kick pedal. What's that about?

That's been primarily a soloing device. It’s a Rhythm Tech Ribbon Crasher mounted on a Gajate bracket, and I’ve taped a hand-held shaker to the beater. I use the sound in the same way I would use a snare, or sometimes a clave. It allows me to set up a fairly complete groove with my feet, which I can then solo over. The idea is that it gives the average listener something to latch onto--the foot patterns--while still allowing me to geek out and play polyrhythms and stuff over the top of it. I can get really adventurous while (hopefully) not losing most of the audience. The additional coordination I gain from working on it is helpful in other areas, too
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